1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to naturally based cleaners. Natural based cleaners include, but are not limited to, laundry detergents, soil and stain removers, light duty liquid detergents, all-purpose cleaners, and glass cleaners.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cleaning formulations have progressed and created a large chemical industry devoted to developing new synthetic surfactants and solvents to achieve ever improving cleaning compositions for the consumer. Recently, consumers have shown an increasing interest in natural and sustainable products. Obstacles in selling such products include the expense to the consumer, since many conventional cleaners typically cost half as much as natural products or products based on sustainable materials. Another inconvenience to consumers of such products includes the limited distribution of natural products, which are often found only in specialty stores. Finally, there remains a significant gap in the performance of natural products, relative to that of highly developed formulations based on synthetic surfactants and solvents which are produced from petrochemical feedstocks. Companies marketing natural or sustainable consumer products have had difficulty in formulating cleaners that deliver acceptable consumer performance, while utilizing only a limited number of natural and/or sustainably produced components.
Typical cleaning formulations require multiple surfactants, solvents, and builder combinations to achieve adequate consumer performance. Because of the increased cost of synthetic sources for cleaning agents and a concern for the environment, there is a renewed focus on using materials that are naturally sourced.
Increasing numbers of consumers are seeking cleaning products that not only are more natural or sustainable, but which also exhibit better overall safety of use. Consumers prefer products that can be readily used around children and pets, in convenient forms such as pre-loaded disposable wipes or ready to use sprays, but these safer and more sustainable products still are expected to deliver performance on many attributes, such as cleaning and reduction of germs, at parity to traditional products.
Cationic quaternary ammonium compounds are commonly used in household disinfecting products. However, these materials can be irritating to the skin and eyes. There are several biguanides, such as the salts of chlorhexidine (CH) or salts of certain polymeric biguanides such as poly(hexamethylene biguanide) (PHMB) that exhibit relatively low dermal irritation. Although cleaning compositions incorporating biguanides are known, (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,527) they generally contain significant levels of solvents and/or surfactants that are derived from petrochemical sources. A significant amount of art has addressed how to deliver disinfecting formulations that also meet the aesthetic hurdles set by consumers, such as good cleaning, the delivery of fragrances, and low residues or streaking on household surfaces using solvents, surfactants and polymers that are derived from petrochemical sources. Thus, the delivery of disinfecting cleaning formulations with good performance and aesthetics, coupled with improved user safety profiles, (for example, milder to the skin or eyes) and a simultaneous reduced impact on the environment, due to the use of a limited set of natural or sustainable materials, remains a major challenge.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,759,382 to Ahmed discloses a concentrated liquid detergent composition containing a primary surfactant system chosen from alkylbenzene sulfonate or another sulfate or sulfonate, and a secondary surfactant system containing an α-sulfomethyl ester or alkyl polyglucoside, where the alkyl polyglucoside is a C8 to C16 alkyl polyglucoside, a C8 to C10 alkyl polyglucoside, a C8 to C14 alkyl polyglucoside, a C12 to C14 alkyl polyglucoside, or a C12 to C16 alkyl polyglucoside. U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,323 to Nilsson et al. discloses C6, C8 and C10 alkyl polyglucosides as surfactant for mud removal in oil drilling. U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,820 to Cutler et al. discloses agricultural formulations containing C8 to C10 alkyl polyglucosides, C9 to C11 alkyl polyglucosides, and 2-ethyl-1-hexylglucoside. U.S. Pat. App No. 20060172889 to Barnes et al. discloses agricultural formulations containing C7 to C18 alkyl polyglucosides. U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,960 to Ruhr et al. discloses C6 and C8 alkyl polyglucosides in highly alkaline formulations with amine oxides and alcohol alkoxylates. PCT App. No. WO 00/49095 to Landeweer et al. discloses C6 to C10 alkyl polyglucosides with glycol ethers such as butyl diglycol.
Prior art compositions do not combine safe, effective cleaning and antimicrobial efficacy with a minimum number of ingredients, especially with natural ingredients. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning composition that overcomes the disadvantages and obstacles associated with prior art cleaning compositions.